When vintage World War II bombers known as North American B-25 Mitchells thrill fans on the U.S. airshow circuit, they honor the legacy of one of the most daring military missions in American history.

At Georgia’s Perry-Houston County Airport on Friday, a B-25 named “Show Me” sat at the end of Runway 36. Its powerful propeller twin engines shook the seats as the bomber waited to takeoff — a little bit like Jimmy Doolittle and his raiders did in 1942 aboard the USS Hornet. Eighty men volunteered for that mission — what turned out to be a one-way air attack — vengeance for Japan’s strike on Hawaii that crippled the U.S. Navy fleet and left 2,403 dead.

For them, Pearl Harbor was their 9/11.

For video and the complete story by Thom Patterson of CNN, click here.